Pontifical Mission Societies gather in Chicago

Pontifical Mission Societies national director Msgr. John Kozar urged a heightened level of collaboration and a renewed sense of mission work as he addressed a room full of diocesan mission leaders, mission workers and educators at the group’s annual meeting on April 29 at Chicago’s Doubletree Hotel.

“Many of our Catholics are unaware of mission work or it’s been put in the background,” Kozar said, “but with baptism comes an acceptance, an awareness and an appreciation that we need to share the faith.”

Kozar believes many Catholics in the U.S. hunger for an opportunity to grow their faith and has set the goal of reintroducing the PMS into America’s Catholic churches.

“The real shining stars are the people in the pews,” Kozar said. “We want to deliver on their desire to mission.”

The societies, institutions of both the universal church and the local church, consist of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Holy Childhood Association, the Society of St. Peter Apostle and the Missionary Union of Priests and Religious. Established to promote a missionary spirit of prayer and sacrifice, the Societies maintain offices in more than 120 countries and urge all Catholics to offer their prayers, personal sacrifices and financial support for the work of Catholic-guided missions.

Though the agency endured a $13 million shortfall in their 2009 budget, a number largely accredited to a $7 million decline in legacies, many believe the societies are enjoying a renaissance in the U.S. In recent years, the organization has launched a new website (www.onefamilyinmission.org), strengthened its outreach efforts and improved collaboration with a variety of Catholic agencies.

“There are gaps in understanding and communication and we’re working at every level to better inform and educate,” Kozar said. “The faithful want to understand their missionary calling and respond.”

Pontifical Mission Societies director of development Monica Yehle spoke of infusing mission in educational circles and parish life, a particular aim of Kozar’s administration.

“Informing and forming the people of God — that’s what we’re about,” she reminded.

Franciscan Sister Madge Karecki, who heads the archdiocese’s missions office, says recognizing the Pontifical Mission Societies is important because area Catholics should want to be a vital part of the world church. She urges them to take the mission appeals seriously, to showcase their faith, and to pray for missionary efforts.

“When we take part in PMS, we’re certainly participating in the global church,” she said.

In the coming years, spurred by Cardinal George’s agenda, Karecki hopes to begin archdiocesan programs that will educate Catholics about mission work, including mission circles to prompt individual involvement.

World Mission Sunday

Of particular importance to both Kozar at the national level and Karecki in the archdioecse is World Mission Sunday. Set each year on the next to last Sunday in October, the day is set aside as an opportunity for Catholics worldwide to reconnect themselves to the church’s mission work and reflect on their individual role within the universal church.

Across the U.S. and in Chicago, many parishes take up dedicated prayer and a special collection for 1,100 mission dioceses across the globe.

“When local parishes participate in World Mission Sunday, they’re maintaining their link with the whole church,” Karecki said.

Catholic life, Kozar reminded, is about sharing the faith with others and showcasing one’s personal relationship with God, the central tenet of mission work locally, the United States and the world.

“Ultimately, it’s not about the big programs or the administration, but the heart,” Kozar said.